Me Too
by Dis-Moi
Summary: Caroline and Kate grab a quick lunch together while discussing John's reckless behavior and its predictable impact on the kids. No copyright infringement is intended or implied as I bow to the ownership of Sally Wainwright, Red Productions and the BBC.


"Kate!" Caroline came running into the house in search of her wife, disappointed to not find her in the kitchen. Normally she would not enter so loudly in case Flora was down for a nap but she was unduly excited and wasn't thinking.

"Shhh. I just got her down," Kate cautioned her in greeting as she entered the kitchen. She looked at her watch and wondered what she was doing home in the middle of her workday. "What's up?"

"You're not going to believe this. I just got a call from John's secretary, the one who told me about his affair with Judith." She used a quieter, less excited tone so as not to wake her slumbering princess.

"So?" Kate pulled the leftover pasta out of the fridge and waved it at Caroline who nodded her head to indicate she'd eat some of it. Kate was thrilled to have the chance to snatch a lunch with her wife; she was just disappointed she'd had no advance warning to prepare something better than leftovers.

"It turns out one of John's former students tweeted about his 'inappropriate' behavior toward her and now the college has launched an official investigation." Kate watched Caroline use air quotes to underscore the word 'inappropriate'.

Kate pulled two plates out of the cupboard behind her and placed them on the counter, giving Caroline a long look in the process.

"What did she say?" Kate questioned as she spooned some pasta onto each plate and placed one plate in the microwave to heat it. She handed the other one to Caroline who preferred to eat her leftover pesto cold.

"I didn't see it but it was about how John hit on her when she was a student. She also implied that she wasn't the only one."

"Holy shit!" Kate spun around to look squarely at Caroline as she waited for the microwave to beep.

"Those were my exact words to Moira!" Caroline moved to the fridge and pulled out some still mineral water for them.

"So what happens now?" Kate handed her two glasses from the cupboard over the microwave.

"Apparently the University has started an investigation and placed him on immediate leave." Caroline flopped on the stool closest to her as though she were exhausted from carrying the weight of the revelation.

"Your poor boys when they hear this," Kate said as she pulled her pasta from the microwave. She looked at the plate and suddenly had very little appetite as she feared this would really be a bridge too far for William. Conversely, she was pretty sure Lawrence could forgive John anything and feared he might even find it funny.

Caroline took a bite and realized that she wasn't very hungry either as her unspoken fears ran parallel to Kate's. She pushed her plate away from her and leaned over the counter dropping her head into her hands.

"When did this go down?" Kate inquired, wondering if there was any chance either boy had gotten wind of it already.

"The tweet went out around 10 this am and by 11 am John was informed he was placed on administrative leave. Moira called me right after he was escorted from his office. Seems there's a zero tolerance policy that was put in place after the scandals at some of the universities in the States. Moira said they wanted to encourage whistle-blowing among the staff and students."

"Well, you've always wondered if Judith was the only one. Think you have your answer?" Kate walked over to her wife and spun her stool around so she could wrap her in a soothing embrace.

"I guess we should call William and warn him in case the Daily Hate or the rest of the press come after him for a reaction. Hopefully they will leave him alone but you know how the press seems to find all the family members they can." She moved to pull her cell out of her pocket. Kate took it and punched in the code to open it and handed the phone back to Caroline after placing the call. Caroline held the phone to her left ear and nervously wiped at the corners of her mouth with her right hand as she stood to take the call in her office.

When she returned to the kitchen, she found Kate once again waiting to eat with her. "What did he say?"

"Just that John's an on-going disappointment. Apparently Roxy's friend blew the whistle about one of their profs and he was summarily dismissed. This #MeToo movement is really shaking things up. He was more worried about Roxy's reaction when she hears the news as she's been so upset about her friend. He said she already dislikes John and thinks she will obviously see this mess from her friend's perspective."

"Oh gosh. I didn't even think about Roxy. Otherwise, William is okay?"

"Yep," Caroline replied as she pushed a forkful of pasta in her mouth. "He didn't even seem surprised, if I'm honest."

"Should we call John and get his side of it before we talk to Lawrence? Or should we invite him to be here when we tell him?" Despite how badly Lawrence behaved around her and Flora sometimes, she was always respectful of his feelings, hopeful that one day he'd mature and realize she was always on his side in life. She knew that again one day he'd be so disappointed by his dad that he'd need her and wanted him to feel comfortable coming to her like he did that day John abandoned him to hang with Judith at the corner pub.

"Nope. I just don't want to hear any of his fucking rubbish. I'll talk to Lawrence in the car on the way home tonight when I can get his full attention. He can call John about it on his own if he wants after we get home," Caroline said as she once again put down her fork and pushed her plate away from her. "I know I shouldn't care but I'm guessing this happened while we were still together. Last thing Lawrence needs is to see me go after John again. It was bad enough when I first learned about Judith. I don't know that I'd contain my anger. This girl, or should I say these girls, were undergrads, not just other employees like Judith. He swore to me she was no longer his pupil by the time they began sleeping together."

"He really does take the biscuit," Kate said incredulously as she started to contemplate just how many students there might be coming after him. "Just hope he's still got some of the money from our buyout of the house to see him through."

"Hadn't even thought about that. He might have to write under a nom de plume as his name will be mud after the press finishes with him. Won't that just kill his ego." Caroline glanced at her watch. She had to be making tracks back to Sulgrave or she'd be late for her budget meeting.

"Course telling my mum and Gillian tonight might prove interesting. Let's call them together after Flora goes down," she said as she gave Kate a quick peck goodbye, half dreading and half looking forward to those calls.

About four hours later, Lawrence stormed into the house and angrily brushed by Kate and Flora without uttering a word. Caroline trailed far behind him, looking like a wrung out wet dishrag.

"I take it that he didn't handle it well," Kate said as she kissed her wife and placed Flora into her arms in an effort to brighten her mood. It worked. After one kiss on Flora's warm forehead, which gave her a whiff of her fresh baby scent, Caroline smiled tenderly at her daughter and then gave Kate a grateful smile.

"You know, this #MeToo movement means maybe things will be better for Flora's generation," she said as she moved to give Kate a proper kiss hello.

A soft laugh escaped Kate's lips when their kiss ended. "I was thinking the same thing while I was waiting for her nap to end. Were you ever hit on when you were in school?"

Caroline nodded her head but didn't readily offer up any details. "Were you?"

"I remember there was this one boss who backed me up against the back of her office door and kissed me until I could barely catch my breath," Kate said with a smirk.

"Was it just a kiss or was there more to it?"

"Well, she fondled my breast and whispered a proposition in my ear. It took me quite by surprise, if I'm honest," Kate teased.

"Really, a proposition and a frontal assault in her office? Did you report her? That sounds like appallingly inappropriate behavior." Caroline feigned a look of horror.

"I would have done, only I married her and you can't give evidence against a spouse. I've often wondered if she only married me to keep me silent."

"She might have done. You'll never really know for sure, will you?" Caroline responded playfully. Kate and Flora were the bright spots in an otherwise dismal day and it was days like this that she knew she was happier than she ever thought she had a right to be. She moved to hand Flora back to Kate so she could take off her coat.

"Penny for your thoughts," Caroline said as she saw Kate's expression turn serious.

"I don't mean to make light of anything that's going on. I feel sorry for these women and thankful they're brave enough to come forward now. I'm also thankful that I have you and never need to worry about getting a call like that from Beverley one day. Perhaps we can have an early night and work on that impossible proposition of yours. I'm not sure we have fully approached it from all the angles."

"You don't have to worry because I know Beverley wouldn't hesitate to rat me out to you. I suspect most days she prefers you to me," she deadpanned as she looked at her watch to calculate how long it might be before they could put Flora down for the night.


End file.
